Between her contagious passion for weight training, openness about health issues, and motivational Instagram posts, Tracy Augot, a longtime member at Womens Fitness Pickering, is an undeniable powerhouse paving the way in inspiring other women to live their best, healthiest life. We had the pleasure of sitting down with her to learn more about her fitness journey and experience at WFCC.
The spark that started it all
“Before I lived a lifestyle that was not good. I went home after work, I put on pajamas, I watched TV, I vegged out. I didn’t really get active after work. I had turned 40, and my weight was ballooning. I just kept getting bigger and bigger. I felt like I needed to do something about it.”
September 2017 marked the start of Tracy’s fitness journey at Womens Fitness Club Pickering. “My sister had joined a few months before, and she kept bringing up that I should come. One day I finally said okay!”
Every climb has bumps along the way
“At the beginning, I was here pretty frequently, about 3 to 4 times per week for about an hour. I changed my diet too. With the help of a personal trainer, the weight melted away pretty fast for the first few months. Then I got ill. I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour. Weeks later, I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, a facial pain disorder known to be the most painful medical condition known to man. I had no choice but to put my membership on medical hold. The staff at WFCC were very supportive and made the whole process easy for me.
About 10 months later, I got most of my pain and symptoms under control. When I came back in the fall of 2018, I was in a position where I could concentrate more on weight training. Since then, I’ve seen even more results – I’m losing fat and gaining muscle. I love it! I want women to not be afraid of weight training!”
Why she chose Womens Fitness
“I wanted to not have to worry about what people thought about me when I’m working out. Here, I feel like I can do what I need to do and nobody is judging me or making me feel uncomfortable. I love that everybody here is different, and that it is all women. Everybody is on a different area or level of their fitness journeys. There’s no judgement as to where you are on your personal journey.”
Newfound passions: self care and fitness
“I feel it is important that people prioritize themselves for at least an hour a day, for both physical and mental benefits. That’s what I’m doing at the gym. It’s my time for me. I never thought I would be so passionate about it!”
Her WFCC community
“I like the camaraderie here. There’s a few women here who I talk to on a regular basis who are going through or have gone through similar things, and we support each other.”
How she feels now
“I feel excited when I come here. It is one of my favourite parts of the day. I never thought I would like the gym so much.
Physically, I feel better. I look better. Mentally, I’m happier. I have more mental clarity and energy. I’ve found myself a passion and I have something that keeps me occupied.
I want to be the healthiest me I can be, and coming here [to Womens Fitness] is helping me do that. I’ve lost over 40 pounds. I love working out now – I feel empowered, I feel strong, I feel confident. It’s something I can’t see me not doing anymore.”
Her philosophy
“I don’t pay attention to the scale anymore. I notice the results most in how I feel and how my clothes fit.”
On Instagram and empowering other women
“I started my fitness Instagram account to hold myself accountable. It’s not about boasting. There’s a community of women on there who support and empower each other. If someone doesn’t post, we notice!
It pushes me to get to the gym. If I haven’t been to the gym and I go on Instagram and see that other women have, I want to go to the gym too! It’s inspiring knowing that you inspire somebody, and you get inspired yourself knowing what other people have gone through. I love to do what I can do to empower other women to make the steps necessary to live a healthier lifestyle.”
